I've registered a few domain names though GoDaddy and then paid the extra for private registration through their affiliate, Domains By Proxy. Anyway, that was becoming an expensive exercise so I've moved all my domains over to Name.com which offer free private registration. Well the guts of the question is: is private registration purely a personal choice? Is there a negative aspect to hiding one's details?
trust me it saves you from getting spammedif you can afford it then do it but if the money is a bit to much for you then you dont have to , but i even have gotten real spam mail before to my address like from seo firms wanting me to hire them and etc..
Private registration is used to protect your privacy such as prevent your personal details from the view of stranger. There is no negative impact of it coz you can turn off the private registration anytime you want.
I wouldn't trust a shopping site that used private registration. You can use a single use email and pass it through gmail's spam filter if you are worried about spam. Use your company information (not your home) on the address info and there will be no problems. If you work from home then get a post office box (or similar) but an "address for service" is vital for sites taking people's money. Without one you have zero credibility.
How does private registration effect Google placement? We've all heard that for example if your site is a .co.uk, hosted with a co.uk company and (perhaps?) based in the UK then you'll get higher placement in the rankings...if this is hidden it would affect it?
Private whois registration is useful if you are marketing different products and you don't want your competitors to know about your niche areas. Domaintools offers a service where with a single domain name you can find out if that owner has other domains as well. So with private registration you can block ownership details from competitors and others.
for the serious webmaster with tons of websites I am not sure this would be your best move as it could get quite expensive if you have to pay for it. The only time I would advise a person to do it 100% would be with things like adult sites. granted it might protect you normally from the occasional crazy, I do not know if the cost is worth it in the big picture. And spam can easily be dealt with.
For me, I look at it like a perk. Sort of like paying someone else to mow your grass or change the oil in your car. As others have said, some hosts provide it for free - so if this is something you definitely want to have, you probably should consider hosting your sites with them. [Though, if you are running only a few sites, the few extra dollars a year probably shouldn't make or break most person's business plans. ]
Well IMO.. you could also lose out on some good offers for your Domain name.. I did that once.. I really wanted this Domain, I did a whois and then mailed the Registrant with my proposal and my willingness for the Domain!
Private registration is a function of your concern for personal information security/deep pocket. For the mere fact that you can use free email accounts on your registrar's account, private registration is not material. For me, I use personal information. Any spam I receive I treat it as such and it will never return again. One more thing, people are afraid of scam artists. If you are not GREEDY, you will NEVER be a victim.I do genuine business online. When you offer bogus business, my replies will surprise you.